Wildwest Family Reunion
by Icy Metal and Frost Blue Roses
Summary: Family reunions: the time to get together with relatives you've probably seen once in your lifetime for a day or two then head to home and lose contact with the rarely seen family members. For Joe, he will have to head back to his home state of Texas and endure a weekend with a bunch of rowdy cowboys and rednecks. It's not like Joe was raised around these people. Oh, wait. He was.
1. Chapter 1: The Call That Started It All

**Author's Note: Hey, guys! If you read my story "The Vivosaur In Me", you'd probably remember the bit where Joe tells John (my OC for the story) that every time there's a family reunion one of his relatives would steal his clothes, so here's a funny little nothing from Joe's POV describing the details of a Wildwest family reunion. :) Be sure to leave me review to let me know how I did please!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Fossil **__**Fighters**_** or else I'd be hard at work doing a crossover game between this and **_**Jurassic **__**Park**_** (which would be totally awesome if they did this! :D)**

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Chapter One: The Call that Started It All

"Joe, how many more times am I going to have to hear the phone ring? That same number's called ten times already," Terry sighed, looking up to acknowledge me entering the suite.

"What's th' number?" I questioned, walking past to look at the caller ID. I scowled. "Terry, would'a killed ya ta pick up th' phone an' ask who's callin'? 'Cause this is mah motha!" I sighed, trying not to get too annoyed with the raven haired man.

"Sorry, man. I'll just leave it to you, then," he replied, moving for the elevator to head back to the main level of the complex.

"Well, finally ya decided ta git off yo' ass an' pick up yo' phone, Ah see!" my mother's voice greeted me on the other end.

"Hello ta you, too, Ma," I replied, silently cursing Terry for not answering the first time.

"Joseph Andrew Wildwest, you damn well know not ta keep yo' motha waitin'!" the woman chided me and I couldn't resist rolling my eyes.

"Mama, Ah can explain mahself! Ah was out on Vivosaur Island doin' business over there! You can't blame me fo' not bein' here th' first tahme ya called!" I exclaimed, taking a seat at my desk and sighed.

"What was it you were callin' me 'bout that you had ta call ten tahmes?" I asked, attempting to get her off the track she was on.

"We're havin' a family reunion this weekend an' yo' relatives would love ta see ya."

I grimaced. Last time there was a family reunion was years back when I started my business on Caliosteo Islands. Most of my relatives tried to get me to leave my dreams of being a Fossil Fighter behind. And look where I am now, one of the most famous Fossil Fighters in the world and owner of the Caliosteo Islands. It isn't seeing my relatives that I have a problem with, it's the mysterious disappearances of my trousers from my bags in the night and no idea where they went off to the next day as well as a small number of cousins, aunts, and uncles that I don't care to see again.

"An' Ah suppose from yo' tone Ah got no choice but ta come?" I ventured to ask, sighing again when she replied with, "Yes, Joe, ya have ta come. Yo' daddy an' Ah wanna see our li'l boy again!"

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**Author's Note: Not exactly very long, but I'll start on the next chapter soon! :D**

**Up Next: Joe heads home.**


	2. Chapter 2: Day 1: Joe Heads Home

**Author's Note: I'm back with another chapter! Hooray! XD Just because I can, I'm going to drag out Joe's stay with the family for a span of two weeks and for each day he's there, there will be a chapter depicting what goes down so in the end of all this there may very well be sixteen or so chapters (the fourteen are the days during the reunion and the other two would be Joe getting ready to head home to Texas and going back to Caliosteo Islands, respectively). Maybe. ^_^**

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Chapter Two: Day One: Headin' Home and Hidin' Medals

Picking up a dirt covered shirt, I raised an eyebrow in wonderment and shrugged, beating on it to shake loose the light brown stains on it before dropping it on the floor again. _Where else can Ah find a nice shirt 'round here?_ I thought, moving for my closet and picked out a couple earthen colored shirts and tossed them over my shoulder in the general vicinity of my bed. Briefly, I considered taking the dirt and sweat covered shirt with me and decided to take it along, knowing my younger cousins would want to keep me outside as long as they can.

Glancing around the room, I spied my pickax and Dino Medals that I took in the field yesterday and smiled fondly. My mother would possibly have a fit over me bringing them, but I packed them anyway, amusing myself when a mental image of my mother's reaction to the pickax and Dino Medals popped into my head. "What else am Ah missin'? Dang it, Joe! Think, lest ya wanna wind up like Crazy Uncle Bert who can't remember what he ate fer breakfast if his life depended on it!" I muttered to myself, dropping my hat on my desk and paced the floor, mindful not to step on my books, notebooks, maps, and hastily scribbled notes on fossils and dig sites, making a mental note to clean it up. Later. Eventually. Maybe. I'll get around to it... Maybe.

"Oh! Ah got it!" I exclaimed, going for the cardboard box with 'trinkets 'n' things' scribbled on the side of it. Digging through its contents, I wondered what I should probably bring to the reunion to amuse the kid relatives before deciding to take the whole thing and let them decide.

"... More pants. Def'nitely. No tellin' where they disappear ta when Ah'm there," I said to myself, nodding my head and went for the closet to track down a few more pairs of pants only to find more empty hangers aside from the few that still held shirts. _What? Are all mah clothes dirty? Ah need to wash some clothes. Later,_ I thought, bending down to snatch up three more pairs of trousers and throwing them into my suitcases.

"Am Ah missin' anythin' else? Hmm..." I wondered aloud, spying a video camera I sometimes take out in the field to document dig sites and Vivosaurs. "... That'll possibly come in handy. An' git me some blackmail material on someone..." I said to myself, grabbing it and tucking it in the suitcase before picking up the phone to arrange for a flight back to my home state of Houston, Texas.

oOoOoOo (The next day) oOoOoOo

"Are you sure you're not forgetting anything, Mr. Wildwest?"

"Ah'm sure Ah ain't fo'getting' anythin', Stella. Ah'm a big boy; Ah can dress mahself. If mah motha had anythin' ta say 'bout what Ah wear, she'd be layin' mah clothes out fo' me ev'ry mornin'. An' th' sad thin' 'bout that is when Ah was in college, she would show up in mah dorm an' lay out mah clothes!" I replied, looking over my shoulder at the blonde helping me carry my luggage onto the plane.

"Just checking. Didn't want you to forget anything important like extra pairs of pants," she said mischievously.

"You still on that? Let it go! You worse than mah own motha! Ah'm still hearin' it from 'er fo' diggin in 'er garden when Ah was three!" I sighed, shaking my head to get my bangs out of my face and took the box out of her hands to secure it elsewhere.

"Sorry. I hope you find out where they disappear to this time!" she giggled, taking her leave off the small plane and closed the door behind her.

"That ain't funny, woman!" I nearly shouted, prompting a few chuckles from the pilots.

I scowled. "Hush, now. It ain't funny!"

oOoOoOo (Hours later) oOoOoOo

"Hoo boy, no backin' out, now," I said to myself, taking up my suitcases in one hand and grappling the cardboard box with the other and, with the help of one of the pilots, tried my best not to fall down the stairs in my surprise when the flashes of cameras overtook my vision.

"Well, dang. There goes bein' discreet 'bout mah visit ta th' family. Not that'd it would'a lasted long ta begin wit'," I muttered under my breath, instead putting on a smile and nodding my head in greeting of the welcoming committee I received, picking my way through the crowds to where my family stood with signs with 'Welcome home, Joe!' written in bold screaming letters near the car, greeting me with hugs, a few kisses to my cheeks, and 'welcome home's'.

"Thought you'd never make it through that crowd, boy," was my uncle's way of greeting me, grabbing hold of my bags and throwing them in the back of the truck. I merely grinned at this and climbed in the back, eager to escape the paparazzi.

"Let's git this show on th' road!" I exclaimed, laughing lightly when my younger cousin, Russ, joined me in the bed of the truck.

"What'd ya bring me from Caliosteo Islands, cuz?" he asked, scooching over to peek inside the box.

"Is that yo' way o' greetin' me? Boy, you betta hug mah neck an' tell me how much ya missed me!" I said, feigning annoyance, but my smile gave me away as he hugged me.

"What's in there? Ain't nothin' live or dead, is there?" he questioned happily, 'oohing' and 'ahhing' at whatever he found. "Well, they're jus' a bunch'a cool lookin' knicknacks Ah found durin' my diggin' expeditions. Thought all th' cousins would like ta pick out their gifts from me since Ah couldn't decide what everyone would like," I replied, laughing when Russ picked out a part of a mammoth tusk I had found some while back in Icegrip Plataeu.

"Cool!" he said, abandoning the box to study his new souvenir.

After some while of driving, Uncle Andy finally pulled off the main road onto a dirt path leading out into the middle of nowhere, bringing a sense of familiarity when my childhood home came into view. Pulling to a stop, I dropped the tailgate, grabbed my bags, and let Uncle Andy get the box as I headed for the door.

"Howdy, y'all! Ah'm back!" I called out, walking up the path to the front door and brought into an unexpected hug before I could get to the bottom step of the porch.

"Joey! Mah baby came home!" my mother cried out, giving me a kiss on the lips. Pulling away, I did a quick look over of the woman before me. Dark hair and green eyes complimented by tanned skin with her attire consisting of a white shirt, jeans, boots, and a brown cowboy hat much like my own. Just how I remember her.

"Ma, Ah tol' you ta quit callin' me that!" I sighed, following her up to the door before she stopped me again, her happy demeanor replaced by a more serious one.

"Boy, if y'all track mud an' dirt in this house again, Ah'ma make ya clean it up wit' yo' tongue! You leave yo' boots out here and take off yo' hat an' jacket so Ah can see mah han'some baby boy!"

I scowled. "Ma! You done drilled that into mah head already! Ah need no reminders of th' punishment Ah received when Ah did do it... when Ah was eight!" I cried, shaking off my boots and followed her into the house's interior. It was just how I remembered it, giving off a homey, earthen vibe. An open spaced living room that led into the dining room and from there was the kitchen. From the foyer to the right of the living room was a hallway leading to a bathroom, a guest bedroom, and a staircase leading to the second floor where the master bedroom, a couple more guestrooms, my bedroom, and my older brother's bedroom. Why my family needed this big a house when my parents only had me and my older brother, Jeff, is beyond me. Though, I will admit, it's nice to have extra rooms for when company stays the night.

"Well, if it ain't Mr. Big Shot himself!" Dad exclaimed, catching sight of me from the kitchen table. My father is the one I take after the most from his brown hair and blue eyes. Even the way I walk, hold myself up, and talk reminds everyone that knows me of my father (anyone that knows me personally as well as my parents). One thing that definitely screams I'm my father's son is that I stole his leather jacket and claimed it mine when I was six and I still wear it to this day.

"Boy, git on over here an' hug mah neck!" he said, beckoning me to him. Setting my bags down, I obliged him and went to sit beside him, mindful to take off my hat sitting at the table unless I wanted a repeat of Christmas dinner which got me a good whack upside the head by both parents and Jeff.

"How's Caliosteo Islands been treatin' you? Ain't gone soft have ya?" he joked.

"Hell, no! Ah git my exercise in goin' on expeditions diggin' fossils! Y'all fo'get Ah do this fer a livin' an' Ah'm purty damn good at it!" I replied, playfully punching the man in the arm.

"Fair enough," he sighed, offering me a smile. Not that sort of smile that is a pleasant smile but the sort of smile you'd see when someone is plotting/hiding something.

"Okay, Ah'll bite. What're you two grinnin' like that fo'?" I sighed, intertwining my fingers and propping my elbows on the table.

"Well... who's the li'l lady that called earlier?" Mom asked, her mischievous smile turning downright devious.

I frowned. "What're y'all talkin' 'bout exactly?"

"A young belle named Stella came callin' on you from Caliosteo Islands. Tell us 'bout her," Dad supplied helpfully, Mom's smile mirrored on his face, making me go red in the face.

"Y'all think-! Ah- We-! Hell, no! She's a director at Ribular Town on one of the islands! We ain't got nothin' goin' on! Ah swear!" I shouted, scrabbling for words. My parents nodded, both unconvinced of my protesting, which only made my blush deepen and slam my head down on the table in embarrassment.

"Stella ain't givin' me lap dances! Git yo' mind outta th' gutter!" I shrieked.

"She ain't pregnant, is she?" Mom ventured to ask.

"That's it!" I shouted again, rising from my seat and quickly grabbing my bags and headed upstairs to my old room.

The rest of the night consisted of my parents spreading rumors of me and Stella being a couple, an increasingly awkward dinner (for me, that is), and passing out the little trinkets from my expeditions to the younger cousins to occupy them.

"How's the reunion going for you, Mr. Wildwest?" Stella's voice greeted me.

"Woman, what you did ain't funny! Mah family thinks y'all're givin' me lap dances over there!" I said in annoyance, running my hand though my hair as I took a seat on the edge of the bed.

"Excuse me?"

"They think you an' Ah got jiggy wit' it in bed an' now they think yo' carryin' mah baby!" I reiterated, getting rewarded with an awkward silence on the other end of the line.

"I guess they didn't tell you we're having a little trouble over here, did they?" Stella asked and I straightened in my seat with interest.

"What's goin' on over there, Stella?" I asked, interest piqued.

"Well, one of the employees found the name of your Vivosaur team on the VMM and found they're gone!"

I couldn't help but laugh at this. "Stella, ain't nobody stolen mah Dino Medals; Ah brought 'em wit' me," I said, chuckling, listening as she pulled the phone away from her mouth to inform the others of the whereabouts of my supposedly wayward Dino Medals.

"Joe! Why did you do that? Don't you remember the last time you took them to a family reunion?" Stella chided me

"... Yeah."

"Then why'd you do it?"

"'Cause Ah thought it was funny!"

"Joe, that's not the right thing to think. You scared the living daylights out of your mom the last time a Vivosaur related incident took place at a Wildwest family reunion," the woman on the other end sighed.

"Oh! It was hilarious!" I cried out, thoroughly enjoying messing with her and she knew it.

"No."

"Amazin'?"

"No."

"Fantastic?"

"No!"

"Wonderful?"

"NO!"

"Incredible?"

"I'm not playing anymore, Joe. That incident wound up on the news channel!" Stella reprimanded me.

"It's a force of habit ta take 'em wherever Ah go, Stella, an' you of all people should know a Fossil Fighter _always_ carries his Dino Medals 'round wit' 'im. An' how was Ah supposed ta know th' kids came an' took 'em outta mah coat pocket 'cause they needed coins fer a game they were playin'?" I protested, knowing she would ultimately agree with me.

"You're not going to let that happen again, are you?"

"It only happened 'cause Ah was in th' shower an' th' jacket was in mah room wit' mah Dino Medals unguarded an' th' kids mistook 'em fer quarters," I defended, getting annoyed that no one would let me live down that one incident where my Vivosaurs were having a bad day and the cousins got them out.

"Just keep them out of sight until you get back. I'd hate to see a repeat of that. In the meantime, enjoy your vaycay, Joe," she said before disconnecting the line.

"Save me," I moaned quietly into the phone though I knew Stella was no longer on the line to hear me.

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**Author's Note: Day one of Joe's reunion is now completed! XD Leave me a review and let me know how I did! Was it good? Bad? Was it awesome? Or did it just suck? Let me know so I can fix it to make it better! Suggestions for chapter three are welcome!**

**Up next: All Joe's exes live in Texas... oh, boy.**


	3. Chapter 3: Day 2: Busted With Medals

**Author's Note: What's up?! Here we'll get a look at what Joe's past loves were like and how they respond to him as a world renowned Fossil Fighter! :D Plus we also see where Joe got his Ptera, Joe's childhood sweetheart, and his mother's reaction to Vivosaurs when he gets busted for bringing them! XD Bonus points to whoever catches the spin off of a famous cowboy's name. Hint: the cowboy's name is John Wayne.**

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Chapter Three: Day Two: All My Exes Live In Texas

Taking a seat on the front porch, I smiled fondly as the children ran around the yard screaming happily as they chased each other with toy dinosaurs, briefly bringing to mind that incident from two years before.

"Uncle Joe, look what Ah found!" one of the kids cried out, holding up a rock in excitement. I chuckled at his enthusiasm and pushed myself out of my seat to investigate.

"Lemme see that," I said, taking the rock in my hand to examine the imprint of a fern on it. "Good find, kiddo. Ya found a fossil."

"Would Ah be able ta revive it?"

"... Ah'm not sure, small fry, but Ah doubt it. All Ah've eva used th' revival machines on was dinosaurs," I replied, looking up at the sound of approaching vehicles. "Oh, Lawrd. What do they want?" I moaned, recognizing the women as they exited their respective cars and approached me.

"Joe, ya lyin', good fer nothin' redneck!"

"Howdy, Missy," I said as calmly as I could, bracing myself for the slap across the face.

"How could ya do this ta me?!" she cried out, the other girls joining her in slapping me across the face. "Naw, Missy! Ya were th' one ta pull at mah heartstrings jus' 'cause ya tol' me yo' ol' man was dyin' an' robbed me blind!" I shouted, rising to my full height, going 'round and 'round with each woman I had dated in the past, defending myself from accusations of me cheating, womanizing, stealing, and over all intimidating them.

"Enough!" I shouted, instinctively pulling out a Dino Medal and tossed it, releasing Byron, a young Ptera that had adopted me as his Fighter. Byron stretched out his wings menacingly and let out a roar, though not as intimidating as it would've been had he been an adult, but it was enough to scare them.

"What was that- oh, hell, naw! Joseph Andrew, Ah tol' ya not ta bring Vivosaurs this tahme!" my mother screeched at me from the porch, getting me to glance over at the woman eyeing the young Vivosaur warily as if expecting Byron to go on a rampage at any moment.

"Y'all were sayin'? Git in yo' cars an' git outta here 'fore Ah sic Byron on ya!" I said threateningly, watching satisfactorily as the women quickly headed for their vehicles and burned rubber going down the road with Byron flying after them, looking to mess around with them.

"Joseph, git yo' ass in this house right now!"

"Guess Ah'm busted then, huh?" I said sheepishly, walking into the house and receiving a whack upside the head.

"Th' hell was that 'bout?!" Mama yelled, "ya know damn well how Ah feel when ya bring them beasts 'round this house!"

"Gimme a break, Ma! It's a force of habit!" I exclaimed, jumping when my mother let out a scream and darted into the kitchen and I turned to see a dirt covered Byron staring at me through the door with his wings folded against his back.

"Ya a'ight?" I asked him and received a nod as an answer.

"Ya might as well head on up ta git ready fer lunch. We 'bout ta have guests an' Ah don' think ya wanna make a bad impression on 'em," Dad said, directing me up the stairs.

"Uh... Dad? Who're we invitin' over exactly?" I asked, suddenly unsure if I want to know the answer.

"What other neighbors do ya know that we have in a five mile radius, Joey? The Waynes're comin' over ta spend th' day wit' us," Jeff's voice rang out, and I sighed. Oh great. Yet another excuse to embarrass the hell out of me in front of someone.

"An' that also means Jenny's comin' over, too, Joey. Ya wouldn't wanna put 'er off covered in dirt an' sweat," he added, snapping me out of my thoughts and scowled. "Stop callin' me Joey! You know Ah don' like it!" I cried, dramatically stomping up the stairs and slammed the door shut.

"She's pretty, Joe," Byron's voice said, making me jump and catch sight of him outside my bedroom window sitting precariously on the ledge.

"Boy, you betta be real quiet like or Ah'll take y'all out back an' bury you alive fo' th' kids ta find!" I exclaimed, scowling. Quickly changing out of my sweaty shirt and into a nice plain brown one, I paused as a thought hit me and asked, "How do you know what Jenny looks like anyhow?"

"When I was going after your exes, I chased them past a house and caught a glimpse of a dark haired beauty sitting on the porch," he replied mischievously.

"Joe! Git on down here! We got comp'ny!" Dad shouted up the stairs.

"No way ta git 'round this one," I sighed, pulling my vest and jacket back on and headed back downstairs to greet the family of three standing in the foyer, smirking smugly at the pink tint to Jenny's cheeks. _Ah'm gonna have me some fun,_ I thought before Dad slapped me on the back to get my attention.

"Why don' ya take this nice young lady out fer a ride?" he asked, a smile coming to his face when I blushed crimson.

"You dirty old man! Git yo' head outta th' gutter!" I cried out, pulling my hat down over my face and moaned when he added, "I expect ta git at least one grandbaby from mah youngest son 'fore Ah die."

"Giddyup!" Mama whispered, giving my ass a pat and walked outside to take a seat on the porch.

"Joe, fo'got ta mention, Mama and Dad're goin' through a hormone therapy thing. It makes 'em crazy horny. Sorry 'bout that," Jeff said from behind and followed me and Jenny as we walked outside.

"So, how've ya been, Joe?" Jenny asked, shrieking a little when Byron landed in front of us, now a complete Vivosaur, a pleading look in his eyes.

"Ah've been doin' good. Ya wanna go flyin'?" I asked, aiming the last part to the young Ptera and received a sort of nod from Jenny.

"Is it safe?" she asked, following me to Byron's side and watched as I climbed on.

"Ah wouldn't take ya up if it wasn't an' Ah wouldn't be famous fer ridin' on a Ptera's back when Ah make a grand entrance ta places," I replied, helping her up behind me.

"How do ya keep yo' hold on 'im if you ain't got anythin' to hold on to?" she asked, her grip tightening when Byron took off from the ground.

"Think of it as another way Ah exercise, Jenny. Ah usually grip onto th' base of his neck or th' spot where his wings meet his body. But usually he flies level like this, all nice an' smooth like," I replied, chuckling when I glanced over Byron's side to find the kid relatives running after us from below.

After we had flown around for a while and come to land, excited young relatives ganged up on Byron and myself, asking questions and asking to go flying and we obliged for most of the rest of the day until the young Ptera had enough and disappeared into his Dino Medal.

"Byron's gonna sleep good tonight. Y'all done wore 'im out," I sighed, slipping the Medal into my coat pocket.

"It's 'bout time you put 'im away, Joseph! Y'all know how Ah feel 'bout Vivosaurs!" Mama cried out from the porch while directing everyone in the house.

"It's all in good fun, Mama. Lighten up. Th' only reason they went berserk last time is 'cause they were havin' a bad day," I protested, following the family into the household's interior, amused to find the table had grown several feet to accommodate everyone.

"No drink fer you, Joey," Jack said, reaching over and removed my wine glass from my place at the table. I scowled.

"Don't call me that! Gimme the glass back," I demanded, kicking him in the shin under the table for good measure. I smiled satisfactorily when he put it back and took a sip of the dark red liquid it held. I really shouldn't say they're wine glasses at all, the glasses looking more like half of a mason jar situated on the stem of a wine glass. The whole time during dinner was rather awkward for me and Jenny as we sat beside each other, avoiding each other's gazes and blushing madly when our gazes found the other, much to the amusement of our respective families.

"Yo, Joe," Kent's voice greeted me on the other end.

"Where's Stella, Kent?" I asked, hoping nothing is going wrong on the island parks.

"Oh, she's out with Doc Diggins. Said something about a dispute between a Spinax and his Fighter." He said this as if he were commenting on the weather.

"What's goin' on over there? Ah'm gonna be on a plane headin' home in the mornin', so ya might as well tell me what Ah missed," I said, shrugging off my jacket and vest as best I can with the phone being cradled between my cheek and shoulder.

"Let's see now... what would be okay to tell you now and what would be okay to tell you when you get back?" he wondered, a tapping sound could be heard from the other end, Kent drumming on the table, making me anxious.

"Kent, Ah'm not playin'! What's happ'nin' over there? T-Rexes didn't overrun Mount Krakanak did they?" I demanded, getting rewarded with a laugh. "Cool it, Joe. I was just messin' with you! Aside from the dispute between the Spinax and his Fighter and four extra feet of snow on Ilium Island, there's not much to report," Kent replied, still laughing over getting me worked up.

"Kent, you ain't alone in the office, are ya?" I sighed after a few moments.

"Nope."

"Put Terry on the phone."

"Hey, Joe. How's the reunion going?"

"How do y'all think it's goin'?" I cried, feeling my annoyance setting in with the leaders of the Caliosteo Islands.

"Stella told us how your folks think she gave you a lap dance and she's pregnant with your imaginary baby. Congratulations, Joe, you're gonna be a dad!" Kent's laughing voice rang out in the background, making me go red in the face.

"It's hell! Mah folks're now playin' matchmaker wit' th' neighbors' li'l girl! Mah daddy wanted me to 'take 'er fer a ride', if ya catch mah drift!" I nearly shouted, whispering the last part in a terrified whisper into the phone.

"Well, I know how you feel. This one girl over here won't leave me alone!" Terry replied sympathetically.

"Did anyone slap ya on the ass and tell y'all ta 'git 'er done'?! Mah mama did!" I cried, getting rewarded with laughter on the other end.

"Look at the bright side, Joe. The reunion is over tomorrow and you can come back in the morning. Pat yourself on the back, buddy boy. You survived the weekend with your horny matchmaking parents and your relatives," Kent piped up.

"Ah guess y'all're right. Ah survived. Ah should get a T-shirt with mah family's picture on it that says 'Ah survived mah family reunion'!" I said, the thought cheering me immensely. "An' y'all can tell Stella that Ah'll be comin' home wit'out any of mah pants missin'!"

"Good for you, Joe. See you when you get here tomorrow," Terry said before disconnecting the line.

Heading back for Caliosteo Islands in the morning. I thought this day would ever come!

"In ya'lls' face, world! Ah survived mah reunion!" I cheered quietly, falling to sleep with a stupid grin on my face.

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**Author's Note: Hey, you guys! Before you go on to leave me comments on how I did with this chapter, answer this question for me: should I add flashbacks to show how certain things happened in the past like the time Joe's cousins unknowingly got a hold of his Dino Medals? If so, let me know what ya would like to see in those flashbacks to make them better for ya! :) If you have suggestions or requests for this story, send me a PM or give it to me in the review!**

**Up next: Joe finds the reunion has been extended a bit! XD Then cause a bit of mayhem in the city!**


	4. Chapter 4: Day 3: Raising Hell

**Author's Note: I'm back with more torment for Joe, baby! XD**

**And just so you know, I'm going to alternate between italics and regular wording to show when Byron's completely in his Vivosaur and human forms, so I'm sure you guys can figure out when he's in which form. :)**

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Chapter Four: Day Three: Hell-raisin' in Houston, Texas

Waking up early that morning, I quickly got dressed and packed what I brought for my short stay and headed off downstairs. "Bye, Ma. It was nice seeing you again," I said to her, getting the woman to look up at me curiously.

"Joe, th' family ain't here yet. Th' whole family's comin' an' they desperately wanna see ya," she said.

"You ain't-!"

"Ah'm sorry, Joe. Some family members can't jus' hop on a plane an' be here in a few hours like you can," she said, turning back to her task.

"Oh, c'mon! Mah staff is thinkin' Ah'll be headin' home today!" I cried out, horrified at the sudden change of plans.

"Tell 'em there's been a change in plans, then, Joey. Y'all old enough ta run th' Caliosteo Islands, ya old enough ta pick up th' phone an' tell y'all's employees ya stayin' a little longer," she said, that tone that made me come in the first place coming to surface in her voice again.

"How long?" I dared to ask.

"Oh, not long... a couple weeks."

"A couple weeks?! That's mo' like a year fo' me, Mama! Y'all tol' me it was jus' th' weekend!"

"Oh, man up. It ain't gonna last a year! Quit bein' so dramatic."

"Well, damn. Ah was hopin' Ah'd be goin' home an' participate in a Fossil Battle th' moment Ah arrive," I muttered, stalking off to find a phone to relay the news to the staff leaders.

"Hello?"

"Stella, it's me! Ah got a situation over here!" I whispered frantically into the phone, closing the door behind me.

"A situation? Your relatives didn't find your Medals again, did they?"

"They did, but this time, no one went on a rampage. This is more serious than that!" I replied urgently.

"What's going on, Joe?"

"They extended the family reunion!"

"... and that's a bad thing because...?"

"They extended it fer two weeks!" I moaned in horror, unsure if I can survive two weeks with the family.

"And what do you expect me to do about it, Joe? Come up with an elaborate reason that requires you to come back?" she asked.

"Yes! The more dangerous sounding scenario the betta! Ah knew Ah could count on ya!" I exclaimed happily.

"Man up, Joe. It's just a couple weeks. I'm sure Terry, Kent, and I can manage the islands until the reunion is over," Stella deadpanned.

"Y'all don't understand th' gravity of th' situation, Stella! Mah family's insane!" I cried, my voice raising in pitch and hysteria.

"You can survive, Joe. You hardly ever see your family. Be sure to make some home movies for us," she said before hanging up, leaving me pouting like a child on the floor of my bedroom.

"Save me," I moaned, sensing this is only the beginning of a very long two weeks.

"C'mon, Joe! We headin' out!" Russ' voice cried out, making me jump at the break in silence and reminded me of the present situation at hand. I sighed and got off the floor to head downstairs, now resolving to get through the day with my sanity still intact.

oOoOoOo (Hours later) oOoOoOo

"C'mon, Joe! It'll be fun!" Jenny pleaded, watching me through the window of the truck.

I sighed. "Since Ah'm 'bout ta lose mah sanity anyways, fine," I muttered, getting out and following her into the store my family disappeared into. Glancing around the store, I caught sight of a mannequin display showing off a low cut blue shirt and matching navy mini skirt.

"Hey, whad'ya think? Y'all think Ah would make this look sexy or what?" I asked loudly, cackling when my mother's jaw dropped.

"Joseph, you are a man an' Ah think y'all should stat actin' like it! Unless of course y'all wanna tell us somethin'," she scolded and I laughed. "Ah was only messin' 'round wit' ya! Take a joke!"

"Ah think it would look betta on me... Joey," Jenny giggled, making me go red in the face.

"Hush. Don't think for even a moment Ah neva saw you looking mah way th' same way as them otha women do before Ah became a famous Fossil Fighter," I teased, laughing in triumph when the ebony haired young woman blushed. "Ah see ya lookin'... checkin' me out. Come an' git it, baby," I teased, thoroughly enjoying watching her squirm.

oOoOoOo(Twenty minutes later)oOoOoOo

"Joseph Andrew Wildwest, y'all git yo' ass back on th' ground this instant!"

Peering down at my family from Byron's back, I grinned like a madman and wagged my finger and spurred the young Ptera from his perch on the street light and laughed as my angry mother chased me from below alongside paparazzi.

"_You know she's gonna have your head when we come in to land_," Byron's voice said.

"Ah know, but it'll be worth it!" I cackled, spurring him on to fly higher and faster back to the house.

oOoOoOo(That night)oOoOoOo

"What th' hell were y'all thinkin', Joseph?!" my mother screeched. "You realize y'all could'a died pulling that stunt today?!"

"Ma, look here. Ah'm a professional at what Ah do an' Ah'm no longer in yo' care; Ah'm a big boy an' y'all gotta let me live mah life. How am Ah gonna learn anythin' if Ah don' fall off th' horse from tahme ta tahme?" I said, cutting her off.

She sighed.

"Joe's right, Jessie. Joe's a big boy, he needs a way ta become his own man an' handlin' Vivosaurs is his way of doin' it," Dad interjected, placing a hand on Mama's shoulder.

"Well, th' rest of th' family's going to be arriving all throughout th' night, so ya might as well head off ta bed. We got a big day ahead of us come th' mornin'," Mama said finally, leaning over to plant a kiss on my cheek and I bid them goodnight and headed upstairs.

Stepping into the room, I spotted the video camera sitting on the nightstand and turned it on, plugged it in to make sure it wouldn't die in the middle of the night, and aimed it at my bag of clothes before picking up the phone.

"Joe, I'm not kidding you, I'm not going to come up with some insane excuse for you to come back to Caliosteo Islands," Stella deadpanned.

I scowled. "Nice of ya ta let me know 'bout the dispute on one'a th' islands, Stella," I countered.

"How's every little thing?"

"Not so good. Expect a call from me in th' morning', Stell. The rest of th' family's gonna be all here an' Ah'm seriously 'bout ta consider a risky flight back on Byron ta git outta here," I moaned, getting rewarded with a loud sigh.

"Once again, it's just a couple weeks, Joe. It's not the end of the world," Stella said.

"But-!"

"Goodnight, Joe. Talk to you in the morning."

"Well, damn. Stella refuses ta help her boss," I muttered, setting the phone down and fell back on the bed, not looking forward to the people that will be ganging up on me in the morning.

oOoOoOo(That morning)oOoOoOo

"Mornin', y'all," I yawned, shuffling into the kitchen and slumped into an empty seat at the table.

"How's 'bout a cup of coffee, yeah? Give you a jump start?" Dad asked, setting a cup of the offered beverage in front of me. I accepted it and took a sip, wincing at its flavor.

"Black coffee?"

"You bet yo' ass it is!" Dad replied, laughing at my continuing to try and drink it.

"While Ah'm thinkin' 'bout it, Ah might as well give the staff leaders a call. Told them ta expect it in th' mornin'," I sighed, getting up to retrieve the phone fro the counter.

"Morning, Joe," Stella said cheerily.

"Okay, who gave you coffee this mornin'? We all know y'all hate mornin's," I teased, getting with a retort of, "You aren't a morning person either, Joe. Who gave you the coffee? Your dad?"

Before I could say anything, I caught a glimpse of a car pulling up outside the house and my eyes grew considerably larger at seeing the people climbing out, prompting me to duck in pantry as a form of cover and whispered frantically, "Great Aunt Bobby-Lou is here! Save me!"

"She's the lady that thinks Terry's a chick, right? And calls you everything but your name?"

"Yes! Get me outta this hellhole, Stella! Ah'm beggin' ya!" I whispered frantically.

"Joe-"

"At this point, Ah would jump into Mount Krakanak ta save mahself!" I wailed.

"Deal with it, Joe. She usually stays two or three days and leaves early," Stella sighed. "You can deal with her for that long, can't you?"

"No!"

"Good. Have fun, Joe. Make lots of home movies for us!" Stella chirped before hanging up on me.

"Stella!" I whined childishly, fearing for my life when I heard voices conversing with each other in the living room.

"Save me!" I whispered to the phone, silently wishing the blonde was still on the line and reconsider making an excuse for me to leave again, though I know she won't.

* * *

**Author's Note: Joe's mama really raised some over him and Byron, didn't she? If you have ideas for what happens in the story, send me a PM and I'll be happy to work it in for you!**

**Up next: Insane relatives arrive. XD**


	5. Chapter 5: Day 4: The Cukoo's Nest

**Author's Note: More torment for Joey! XD Keep feeding me ideas and I'll keep rewarding you with more chapters!**

**And to all those who find this story and before you start asking questions about how Byron is a Vivosaur and a human is that he's a hybrid which is an idea for my other _Fossil Fighters_ story I have up and used for this one. If you have any further questions about my human/Vivosaur hybrids, refer to The Vivosaur In Me. And for those who ask since when a Vivosaur could turn into human (in the other story, it's the other way around), they always could in my world! ^_^ Don't like it? Too bad!**

* * *

Chapter Five: Day Four: Flyin' over the Cukoo's Nest

"Josiah! Where'd y'all run off at now?!"

I cringed at the sound of the woman's voice and clung to the phone for dear life when she opened the door and smiled down at me. "There ya are."

I managed a weak smile. "Howdy, Great Aunt Bobby-Lou."

"Girl, git outta th' closet lest ya want something crawlin' inside ya an' git yo' ass pregnant." I gawked up at the woman, unable to keep myself from turning beet red. "Ah'm tellin' ya fer th' last tahme, woman! Ah'm a man! Ah can drop mah pants an' prove Ah'm right!" I screeched, pushing myself onto my feet and stalked out of the room, moving calmly to the exit before I let out a shriek of indignance and ran for my bedroom, slamming the door shut and locking it behind me.

"Stella! Save me!" I wailed in to the phone the moment I heard her pick up.

"No need to yell, Joe. I thought we just had this conversation."

"Mah great aunt is here! Save me! Ah don' wanna have another talk 'bout the birds an' th' bees again! Th' way she describes it is horrifying! Last tahme Ah was given 'th' talk', Ah was given a demonstration of th' whole thing! Ah'm still havin' nightmares from th' last tahme!" I wailed, cringing when someone knocked on the door, calling out, "Jessica, you open this door right now! We need a talk 'bout priorities an' such!"

"Oh, mah Gawd, she's tryin' ta tell me 'bout th' birds an' the bees again, Stella! Help me, damn it!"

"You have a window in your room, don't you? Sneak out like you did when you were a teenager," the woman suggested and I made a break for it, hurriedly scrambling over the window sill and jumped onto the branches of the tree outside the window and scaled to the ground.

"Boy, there is such a thing as a door. You should try usin' one sometime," Grandpa called out from the porch.

"Jennifer, that ain't ladylike climbin' outta windows. Y'all could hurt yo'self bad," Great Aunt Bobby-Lou's voice rang out, rushing up to me with a box in hand.

"Oh, hell," I laughed, pulling the box's contents out to show everyone my gift: a women's two piece bathing suit.

"This _proves_ Great Aunt Bobby-Lou is madder than a box full'a frogs! Russ, Ah want ya ta record this," I said, noticing Russ had brought his video camera with him and had it pointed at me. "Hey, Whad'ya think? Y'all think Ah would make this look sexy or what?" I asked, holding the bathing suit up against my frame and struck an uncharacteristically dramatic pose.

She froze. "You are a man an' Ah think y'all should start actin' like it! Unless of course y'all wanna tell us somethin'," she scolded and I laughed. "Ah tol' y'all that woman's crazy!"

"Ah think it would be too hot fer ya... Joey," Jeff cackled, making me glare and throw the bathing suit at him.

"At least Ah don't cyber stalk th' gal Ah had a crush on since th' fifth grade!" I shouted, pointing the accusatory finger at the brunette. "... Did I say that out loud?" I asked in mock innocence, a look of dark amusement crossing my face at the looks I received.

oOoOoOo(Thirty minutes later)oOoOoOo

Taking a seat on the blanket Mama had laid out, my gaze flicked between my brother and the burger in his hands a few moments before an evil smile made its way across my face and whispered, "Watch this." Jenny looked up and over from the plate of food in her lap and whispered back, "What're ya doin'?"

"Y'all know what burgers are made of, right?"

"Cows, Joe. They're made of cows," Jeff deadpanned, taking the bait like I knew he would.

"That's what they want y'all ta believe," I muttered conspiratorially, my evil smile growing when the younger relatives and Jeff's faces blanched. "What're they really made of, Joe?" Russ ventured to ask.

"Dogs."

"Oh, hell naw!" Jeff shouted, tossing the burger onto his plate.

"Hell, yes!" I exclaimed, laughing. I paused, waiting for Jenny to take a sip of her drink before whispering in her ear, "Woof." That rewarded me with her snorting her coke and punched me in the arm.

"Joe! That's jus' wrong! Y'all know he's lyin', right?" Jenny exclaimed, still coughing from the beverage coming out of her nose.

"Joseph, stop causin' trouble fo' yo' brother an' let 'im eat," Mama reprimanded. "Ah mean it."

oOoOoOo(That night)oOoOoOo

"Ma! No!"

I jumped, straightening in my seat, having fallen asleep during one of Uncle Bob's long, very detailed and very boring fishing story about hooking a marlin, but found he hooked a shark. Briefly wiping at my mouth, I groaned softly in disgust when I found I was drooling in my sleep, dreaming about talking fish, pink squirrels, and pineapples wearing underwear.

"Bobby, that was a very nice story, but Ah think it's 'bout tahme ta spark some old mem'ries," Mama cut in politely. I stiffened and looked over to Jeff who had lost all color in his face.

"Mama, Ah fo'got ta mention that there's a family of snakes gettin' in yo' garden an' Ah think you an' Ah should go take care of it now 'fore one of th' kids finds 'em," Jeff cried out, grabbing Mama by the arm and dragged her towards the backdoor, giving me a thumb's up behind her back to go for the book. Jumping out of my seat, I ran for the bookshelf in the living room that held the photo album and snatched it up.

"Joseph, y'all gimme that book!"

I shouted in surprise and sprinted for the door and flung it open, stuffing the album under my arm while grappling with my pockets in search of Byron's Dino Medal and finally found him, tossing him in the air and braced for Byron's talons to wrap around my arms and lift me off the ground. "_Yo' tahmin' is impeccable, Byron,_" I said through our bond, screaming in surprise when the young Ptera swung me into the air and landed on his back. "Th' hell are y'all doin'?! You want me dead?!" I cried, shifting my hold on the photo album.

"_Why are we running from them, exactly? What's in that book, anyway? Pictures?_" Byron asked, turning his head to look at me a moment.

I nodded grimly. "Pictures that should never see th' light of day again! Pictures that have brought nuthin' but embarrassment fo' me an' Jeff!" I said lowly, spurring Byron to come closer to the ground above my brother and let the Ptera scoop Jeff up and toss him onto his back behind me.

"You got the album?" Jeff asked. I nodded enthusiastically.

"They must be destroyed!" Jeff bellowed, reaching into my pocket and examined each of the other four Medals.

"If we do, Ma will kill us!" I said, looking over my shoulder at the other man.

"It's either that or endure a night of family members laughin' at us! Take yer pick," Jeff answered, leveling me with a meaningful stare.

"They must be disposed of! Somewhere only we would know ta look!" I said finally, nodding my head.

"_But that also means you'd have to sneak in and get your clothes before we can head back to Caliosteo Islands,_" Byron pointed out and we hung our heads.

"... Let's fly 'round fer a while till they calm down," I said quickly, not looking forward to dealing with my mother being angry with me and Jeff.

oOoOoOo(Sometime in the wee hours of the morning)oOoOoOo

"What th'-? What happened ta mah pants?" I muttered, leaning back to scratch my head and spotted the camera sitting on the shelf and smiled triumphantly. "An' that means Ah got whoever's doin' it on camera!" That made my smile grow wider and turned it off, tossing it into my bag and hurriedly raced down the stairs and outside to the truck where Jeff was waiting with Byron in his human form passed out in the backseat.

"You ready ta go? Ah hope yer plane's still there," Jeff said as I tossed my luggage into the truck bed and hopped into the passenger seat. I nodded. "If that plane ain't there, th' pilots're fired," I said, yelping and clinging to my seat belt when Jeff slammed his foot on the gas as Mama and Dad appeared on the front porch with the rest of the family.

"GO! GO! GO! GO! GO!" I screamed, my heart racing when Great Aunt Bobby-Lou began running down the drive after us. As soon as the house was out of view, I continued looking over my shoulder out the back window and yelped in surprise when I caught sight of the other family members giving chase.

"Oh, mah Gawd! Step on it, Jeff! They're chasin' us!" I cried, praying we get to the airport first and have enough time to grab our bags of clothes and board the plane before the family could catch up.

When we finally got to the airport, I rounded up the pilots and practically threw them into the cockpit while Jeff carried a still sleeping Byron and our luggage on board.

"If y'all don't start flyin' this plane, you're both fired! Git us outta this hellhole NOW!" I threatened, my voice taking on a higher pitch and a hysteric tone as the door was shut just as the family pulled onto the tarmac. I wouldn't remove myself from the cockpit until the plane began taxiing down the runway and took off.

"Where to now, Joey?" Jeff yawned, watching me into the cabin.

I yawned. "Don't call me that. An' where else do ya think we're headin'? Next stop, Caliosteo Islands."

"Hey, 'fore ya pass out on me, was there any particular reason you were videotapin' yer clothes?"

"Ah jus' found out who's stealin' mah pants!" I grinned.

"Oh?" Jeff asked. "Who was it?"

"How should Ah know? Ah didn't watch th' tape yet," I admitted. "Ah'll do it later, though. Ah think Ah could fall asleep an' stay that way fer th' next week after what Ah was put through," I answered, reclining in a seat, readying myself to get some sleep on the way back to the islands.

"Why not do it now?"

Glancing over at my brother I stretched myself out and yawned again. "Ah'm too tired ta do it now. Save tahme an' see thin's mah way! Procrastinate now!" With that, I pulled my hat down over my eyes and sighed, sleep not taking long to claim me.

* * *

**Author's Note: If you have ideas for what happens in the story, send me a PM and I'll be happy to work it in for you!**

**Up next: Joe flees for the Caliosteo Islands! ... And the family follows after him to cause more torment for Joey! XD**


	6. Chapter 6: Day 5: Caliosteo Islands

**Author's Note: I'm back! XD I knew you would all come back to find out the contents of the video of who steals Joe's pants. Magma Red, I'm lookin' at you! You've been stuck on this since you read about that and you can't deny it! XD**

* * *

Chapter Six: Day Five: Seeking Refuge on Caliosteo Islands

"Mr. Wildwest? We're back, sir," one of the pilots said to me, shaking my shoulder to wake me.

"Ah thought y'all wouldn't eva tell me that!" I mumbled sleepily, rubbing my eyes to rid them of sleep. Looking up and over to where Jeff and Byron sat, Jeff was fingering my Medals with a curious look and Byron had a frown on his young face as he watched the days long recording of my bag, asking, "Why were you filming your bags anyway, Joe? Who the heck is the old lady?"

"Old lady? The thief!" I cried, scrambling to the other side of the room to see the small screen on the camera. And sure enough, there was the old lady Byron said there was.

"Great Aunt Bobby-Lou?"

"She th' one stealin' yo' pants?" Jeff questioned, leaning against me to see for himself.

"What's she-? Oh! Hell, no! Hell, no! She's not!" I screeched, covering Byron's eyes with my hand and continued groaning at the recording of the demented older woman until she wandered out of the room with the pair of pants I'm now missing.

"Ah think Ah've been blinded by th' sheer horror and brain deadness that Ah've bore witness ta," Jeff spoke finally, bursting into a laughing fit at the disgusted look on me and Byron's faces.

"Wow. You weren't kidding about your family being crazy, Joe. You told me your family was crazy but... wow, that was insane!" Byron spoke up, eyes bugging out of his skull and made me wonder if they would pop out of his head. Taking the camera out of his grip, I turned it off and shifted in my seat to face him better.

"Ah tol' ya so!"

"Hey, 'bout these Dino Medal thangs," Jeff said, getting our attention, possibly trying to distract us from what we had just bore witness to, "how do ya tell what they're supposed ta be?"

"First off, that's a Krona, T-Rex, Tophis, Amargo, an' of course a Ptera," I replied, gesturing to Byron when I got to the Ptera.

I spent the next two hours trying to explain a Vivosaur's elemental powers and how to tell what they are judging from fossils and Medals.

oOoOoOo(Thirty minutes later)oOoOoOo

"But it hasn't been two weeks yet, Joe. Heck, it hasn't been a week!"

"Hush, now, Stella. Mah brotha an' Ah got some terrible thangs ta git our minds off of 'cause of you!" I muttered, bringing the cup in my hands to my lips and took a drink. I frowned. "Why's this taste funny?" I questioned, looking up to where Jeff stood with a wicked look on his face.

"Y'all spiked the eggnog, didn't ya?" I accused, getting out of my seat to face my older sibling.

"An' yer complainin', why? Joey, you an' Ah both know th' only way ta drown mem'ries like that is ta drink 'em away. Grow yerself a pair, man up, an' drink," Jeff ordered, making me go red in the face at him telling me to grow a pair in front of the blonde woman.

"... Fine, then. Ain't like they gonna be able ta git ta Caliosteo Islands anyhow," I sighed, taking another swig of the whiskey laced eggnog.

oOoOoOo(Two hours later)oOoOoOo

I giggled as I watched Jeff stumble about the room, reenacting his favorite moments in chick flicks he had taken his ex girlfriend to see, playing both roles of the man and lady. He finally hiccupped and fell to the floor in an unconscious heap and I grinned wickedly at the sight, heading for the bathroom for the razor.

oOoOoOo(Five minutes later)oOoOoOo

"Joe! What did you do?!"

I jumped, not expecting to be walked in on and grinned stupidly at the trio of staff leaders in the doorway watching me with utter incredulousness on their faces. "Hey, Ah made a video jus' fer y'all when Ah temporarily moved back into mah mama's house," I hiccupped, clumsily reaching for the video camera and went to try and hook it into the TV for us to watch.

"That's nice, Joe, but I think you should lay down and sleep it off," Terry chimed in, his brown eyes widening when the video started playing. I had fast forwarded it to the moment Great Aunt Bobby-Lou walked in the room and began rifling through the bags of clothing.

oOoOoOo(Thirty minutes later)oOoOoOo

"Oh, good God, that was vile!"

"Dude... that was... the most revolting thing I've ever seen in my entire life!"

"I can't believe what I just saw! Why did you make us watch that?!" Stella exclaimed, finally tearing her gaze away from the screen to see a look of dark amusement on my face at their reactions.

"Apparently, she's got some sort of medical problem an' her ass sweats more than Ah do when Ah'm diggin' in th' volcano at Mount Krakanak so she uses mah pants ta sop up th' ass sweat 'cause she thinks mah pants are very large handkerchiefs," I replied, relishing in watching them squirm.

"Uh... I gotta go and bleach my eyeballs to rid them of what I've just seen. I will never be able to see that again," Terry sighed, getting up and leaving the suite.

"I'm gonna go too, dudes. After seeing that... That was the wrongest wrong that has ever been wronged! Thanks for giving me nightmares for the rest of my life, Joe," Kent said, following the ebony haired man out of the room, leaving me with Stella.

"As for you, Mr. Wildwest," Stella turned to face me with a look on her face that reminded me of my mother. "You must be stupid drunk to be able to sit through that twice."

"Naw, Ah'm just a tad bit buzzed is all," I drawled out, waving a hand dismissively.

Laying there in bed, I couldn't shake that twinge of guilt in me for running away with my brother and abandoning my family back on the mainland, but when a mental image of Great Aunt Bobby-Lou flashed through my head, I shuddered and the guilt was drowned out by disgust and the feeling was gone.

"It's fer th' best, Joe," I sighed, sleep claiming me moments later.

oOoOoOooOoOoOo

I groaned and opened my eyes a crack, stunned by the sunlight pouring into the room. "What th'...? How'd Ah git back ta Ma's house?" I mumbled sleepily, clumsily rolling out of bed and staggered to the window and drew the curtains.

"Jessie, it's 'bout tahme y'all woke up," Great Aunt Bobby-Lou's voice rang out, getting my head to snap to attention and turn to look at the door where the older lady stood with a heavily pregnant Stella.

"We need ta talk 'bout priorities an' such."

"Oh, Gawd!" I screamed.

Jolting in place, I sat up in bed and glanced around the room finding myself back in my room in Wildwest Tower. My death grip on the blankets loosened and looked at the clock and found it hadn't been twenty minutes since I had retired for the night. "Oh, thank Gawd it was jus' a dream... Just a dream," I moaned, running a hand over my face to rid it of the cold sweat that accumulated there.

Then a knock sounded on the door.

"W-who's there?" I called out hesitantly, throwing the covers over my head and screaming like a frightened child when the door opened to reveal my entire family outside.

I screamed, jolting in bed and sighed, finding I'm really awake this time. A quick look at the clock says it's one in the morning and I let out a shaky sigh of relief at realizing I'm truly rid of my family except Jeff on the island. "Must've had too much 'eggnog'," I mumbled, yawning loudly and flopped back on the bed, hoping when sleep claims me again I won't be haunted by any more dreams of the reunion.

* * *

**Author's Note: I must get this out there and say thank you to Magma Red who wanted to see a drunk Joe and gave me the idea of a nightmare inside a nightmare. XDXDXD**

**Next Up: Joe's family arrives on the island! Joey does not want! D8**


	7. Chapter 7: Day 6: The Family Arrives

**Author's Note: Guess what?! I'm back! XD Didn't think you'd be rid of me so easily did you?! I should go ahead and add that this chapter and the next few to come are dedicated to Magma Red who gives me evil ideas to torment Joey with! XD Enjoy! Leave me a review! Leave me a review! Leave me a review! Please?**

* * *

Chapter Seven: Day Six: The Wildwest Family Arrives on Caliosteo Islands

"Joe, get your ass out of bed and over here now!"

I jumped, not expecting to be woken up like that or seeing an irate Stella watching me from the entrance to my room. "Good mornin' ta you, too, Stella," I yawned, clumsily rolling out of bed followed the angry blonde woman out of the room and blanched at seeing my entire family standing in my office with broad smiles on their faces.

"No!" I shouted, turning on a heel and racing for my bedroom and slammed the door shut. "How could this happen?! Oh, no..." I moaned in horror, catching sight of the photo album I nabbed from when Jeff and I were still in Texas. "We didn't hide it!" I moaned, throwing on some clothes and snatched up the album and reached for Byron's Dino Medal.

"What happened, Joe? Who died?" the young boy yawned, rubbing at his eyes.

"We need to get to Vivosaur Island NOW!" I said, my voice taking on a hysteric tone.

"What's on Vivosaur Island, Joe?"

"A place to hide this thrice damned photo album!" I cried, nearly jumping out of my skin when Jeff burst into the room with an angry expression on his face.

"What did you do to mah hair?!" Jeff shouted, all traces of anger quickly diminishing and paling when his gaze fell on the album tucked under my arm. "We didn't!"

"We did! We need ta hide it 'fore it's too late!" I replied grimly, opening the window to let Byron out and climbed on his back with Jeff in tow.

"Where're we goin', Joey?" my brother asked, taking hold of the photo album for me.

"Vivosaur Island. An' we gonna hide it in th' one lace no one'll eva think ta look."

oOoOoOo (Later) oOoOoOo

"Doc Diggins! If y'all ain't in yo' office, don't say anythin'!" I shouted, bursting into the hopelessly cluttered space in search for the quirky man. No sign of him anywhere amongst the piles of paperwork and books. "Hide th' damn thing 'fore we get caught in here!" I ordered, watching my brother as he went further into the room and placed it under a stack of books.

"Ya sure he ain't gonna find that?" I wondered, glancing back into the office as we ran out of the Fighters' Station.

"Hell, if Ah know. But Ah did make sure ta disguise it so he ain't eva gonna find it," Jeff grinned.

oOoOoOo (Twenty minutes later) oOoOoOo

"I said I'll get to working on it later, Wendy! It's on my to-do list!"

Dr. Diggins had just been tracked down having been held hostage for the past two hours by Nick Knack and hearing a very long explanation as to how he came into possession of his fossilized sandals. Pushing his glasses back into place on his nose, the man sighed and grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil to remind him to fix the Kl-33N robots in the cleaning room, pausing when he spotted a large burgundy book with '_Photo Album_' written along its spine in an elegant slanted print. A piece of duct tape had been placed on it reading 'NOT' in bold print. Diggins creased his brows in wonderment. _Where did that come from?_ he thought, moving to retrieve the book from beneath the pile of archaeology books he hasn't touched in years and opened it.

The first thing his eyes landed on was a picture of a two year old Joe Wildwest, clothed in nothing but a diaper and the jacket and cowboy hat the world commonly associates with him and a grin on his face reaching from ear to ear. Dr. Diggins couldn't help grinning back at the picture. Looking at Joe now, Dr. Diggins never thought the world famous Vivosaur handler would have been such a cute little thing as a toddler. _No wonder the girls love him_, the man thought.

The second page brought about a second child, possibly a sibling, alongside Joe, both around the ages of three and four years old, the older of the two holding up handfuls of mud covered worms while Joe was covered head to toe in it and held out a small fossil of a fern. This brought about a smile. _Joe was getting busy with his career that young. Smart kid. Nobody does that anymore_, Diggins thought. _Did him some good, too. He's what, twenty-four now and three in the picture? He was really looking into his future._

The next photo Diggins looked over brought a chuckle. The picture was of a seven year old Joe in his bathing suit squirting a man Diggins assumed was his father between the legs while his sibling pulled the back of his swim trunks to deposit a handful of ice cubes to add to the mayhem that was caught on camera. _Not only was he a cute kid, he was a mischief maker._

The fourth picture featured the two siblings again. This time they were in the bathtub, bubbles coming up to their chins. Joe was buried alive under all the suds, peeking out at the person behind the camera with a grin while his brother smeared bubbles on his chin to make a beard of sorts. He lost it. Diggins laughed. He laughed till his sides ached and tears were streaming down his face in merriment. The doctor's laughing had called the attention of staff members into the room to see what had roused such amusement.

"Dr. Diggins? What's gotten into you? Did Rosie give you dino cakes again?" Wendy questioned coming closer to see the photo album sitting in his lap and happy tears rolling down his face and gasping for air between his continued guffaws. Her boss answered her question, but nobody could understand, instead opting to crowd around him to see what prompted such a response.

It wasn't long before every last staff member of the Fossil Station was on the ground laughing.

oOoOoOo (Greenhorn Plains) oOoOoOo

"What do we do now? Head back ta yo' place on Caliosteo Islands?" Jeff questioned, watching me as I dug around the clearing from his place in the shade under a tree a short distance away.

I opened my mouth to respond but we both paled when Great Aunt Bobby-Lou's voice rang out over the fields, shouting, "Peter! Jessica! Where y'all run off at?!"

"Oh, hell. _Run_!" I screeched, hastily placing my pickax back into its place on my back and hightailed it for the edge of the digsite with Jeff hot on my heels.

"What're we gonna do when they catch us?" Jeff asked, his voice raising in pitch in his growing sense of hysteria.

"I dunno! But when they do, Ah'm gonna git mahself killed by a Spinax!" I answered, working my way around the site the long way to avoid the family and jus made it to the entrance when Russ tackled me from behind.

"Cuz, can we _please_ try ta revive mah fossil?" he begged, looking up at me with his big emerald eyes that I could never say 'no' to.

"... Fine."

oOoOoOo (Ten minutes later) oOoOoOo

Walking into the Fighters' Station, I sensed something with Jeff's hiding place for the photo album went horribly wrong as every worker that saw me would break down into a mad giggling fit. Dr. Diggins found the album. Letting my gaze go heavenward, I mentally pleaded, _Oh, Gawd, take me now! Let this nightmare fo' me end! Jus' strike me dead!_

"You gonna show me how ta work this thang?" Russ questioned, napping me out of my thoughts.

"Uh... This controls th' drill an' this is th' hammer. From th' tahme y'all put th' fossil rock in th' machine, ya got a minute an' ten seconds ta clean it ta th' best of yo' abilities an' th' machine will do th' rest," I instructed, watching as Russ set to work on his rock. It didn't take him long to do so because of how small it is and what surprised us the most was from the remnants of the rock the plant's leaves sprung up, a few more sprouting up alongside it.

"Well, how 'bout that? Ya revived it," I said in surprise, watching the leafy plant with wide eyes and took a step back when the leaves shook and got bigger. Russ and I took another step back as the previously fossilized vegetation continued growing, spilling over and out of the revival machine and began growing up the walls and all over the floor.

"Joe?"

"Yeah?"

"What're we gonna tell the people that work in here?"

"It was a freak accident. And when this all goes south, Ah'm blamin' you," I said finally opening the door and leaving with Russ in tow.

oOoOoOooOoOoOo

"Jeff?"

"Yeah, Joe?"

"Everyone in the Fighter's Station is laughin' at us. Just how did you plan ta hide that photo album?" I asked him with a forced calm, resisting the urge to strangle him when Dr. Diggins approached us with a wide grin on his face, the spine of the book facing outward, the words 'NOT a Photo Album' in two different prints, one of which was on duct tape and written in Sharpie.

"Is this the reason for your visit, Mr. Wildwest? Hiding something from your mother? And you thought of my office as a hiding place first. I'm touched," he said amusedly, handing the book over to me.

"You took a peek, didn't ya?"

"Well, it goes without saying you were absolutely adorable as a kid."

Shoving the album into Jeff's hands, I pulled my hat down and ran, not knowing or caring where I was headed.

Jeff and Dr. Diggins watched me go, exchanging glances in the silence that ensued before the doctor broke the silence by asking "Was it something I said?"

* * *

**Author's Note: Oh, goodness. Poor Joey! I'm terrible for doing that to him! I'm sure we'd all feel very sorry for him if we weren't so busy laughing at him! XDXDXDXD**

**Up Next: Gangsters, puppies, and Predators... oh, my.**


End file.
